What's considered rude that travelers do in Madrid?
Eating on the metro is the quickest way to mark yourself as someone who didn't bother to learn the basics — locals genuinely find it inconsiderate, and it is technically prohibited. Showing up to dinner before 9:30 p.m. won't offend anyone, but sitting down at 8 p.m. signals you haven't adjusted; restaurants are quieter then for a reason. Tipping aggressively also reads as performative — a euro or two on a café coffee, or rounding up a restaurant bill, is the norm; leaving 20 percent American-style can come across as condescending rather than generous. Addressing waitstaff by snapping fingers or shouting "oiga" repeatedly in an impatient tone lands badly. And speaking loudly in English while assuming everyone around you is a tourist erodes goodwill fast in neighborhood bars in Lavapiés or Malasaña. The broader rule: Madrid rewards people who slow down and match the rhythm of the city rather than impose their own schedule on it.
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